The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-01-08
NOTES ABOUT PEOPLE

NO TES ABOUT PEOPLE
A BOSTON ARTIST tells this story of
Whistler and Oscar Wilde, who has the
reputation of borrowing Whistler's bright
speeches. Having heard the artist saw
an unusually good thing Oscar exclaimed.
deploringly, 81 wish 1 could have said
that" "Oh," replied Whistler derisiyely
but you know you will say it."
-Ex-President Arthur, during his
sophomore year at Union college, was
compelled to leave college and teach a
village school at Schaghticoke, Rensse-
laer county, N. Y, for the narrow remu-
neration of SIS month. 1t is remarka.
BILE how many Of our presidents were
pedagogues before they became states
men.
The corporation of Stratford- on
Avon, Eng, has voted the heartiest thanks
OF the town, to George w. Childs, of
Philadelphia, for the gift of drinking
fountain. In letter presenting the gift,
MIR. Childs expresses a hope that the
fountain may prove an evidence of good
will between the two nations having the
fame and works of Shakespeare as COM
mon heritage.
joaquin Miller writes: "The Presi-
dent is plain, but Mrs. Cleveland is Ger
tainly not only the most beautiful woman
we ever had in the White House, bat one
OF the most beautiful ever born. The
ubiquitous and pretty pictures are pretty
enough, but they give no suggestion of
her supreme beauty of presence and
matchless manner, the clear complexion
and pearly teeth"
Sir John Lubbock, the noted Brit
ish scientist, exhibited at an association
meeting very strange pet. 1t was a
tame wasp, which had been in his posses
sion about three months. It now ate
sugar from his hand, and allowed him to
stroke it. The wasp had every appear
ance Of health and happiness; and al
though it enjoyed an "outing" occasion
ally, it readily returned to its bottle,
which it seemed to regard as home.
There lives in Portland, Me-, nj.
Francois Radoux, who was born in Brit
tany in 1870. He was soldier of Napo-
leon for years; was captured by the En-
glish and given his freedom for saving an
English officer from drowning. He came
to this country the year after the battle
of Waterloo. He married for his second
wife Susan Dingley, an aunt Of Nathaniel
Hawthorne. He is in good health and
plays both the piano and violin.
Charles Dudley Warner is describ-
ed by an ArgonaW correspondent who
has met him in Mexico as "a man of me-
dunn height and build, with waving, sill
YER white hair and full beard, keen blue
eyes with an intent, penetrating gaze,
face delicate and fine as an ivory carving
and almost as white; very selfish mouth,
habit OF puckerng up his brow in pet
ulance or thought, and an habitual air of
repose and self-possession which add
greatly to the idea of distinction which
he impresses on all who meet him."
Great musicians should write plen-
ty OF autograph music to leave to their
heirs. A small sheet OF Bach's autograph
score brought $75 at a recent sale at
Paris, while letter of Joseph Bona
parties defending his brother against
Royalist criticism was knocked down at
SO, while nine letters from Cardinal de
Bernis to Voltaire went at $72 for the lot,
and lock of the Comte de Chambord's
hair sold for 500. Apparently there is
little inducement for kings in exile to let
their hair grow like that of unemployed
poets.
MIR. Edmund Clarence Stedman,
the poet critic, and banker, calls his
summer house at New Castle, n. H.,
"Kelp Rock" because the rock on which
it liz built extends out TO sea, and at low
water surface of one hundred yards is
covered with sea-weed, or kelp Spray
often dashes over the house in stormy
weather. The stately tower is modelled
after an old lighthouse, or lanterne, on
the French coast; the loggia is italian in
style, and the rest of the building Colo
NAL. The farmers for ten miles around
showed their good will by carting stones
for the walls, and Mr.. Stedman himself
selected whitish, dark, and yellow bowl
ders along the coast for their color effects,
and gave the Yankee masons many points
in laying them.
In his volume of personal reminis-
cences, Mr.. Louis Engel, the musical
critic of The World, London, tells new
story about Mozart's first beard, and the
pious domestic comedy it caused: "Of
course his mother wrote about it to his
father, and the father replied in the most
serious way possible, 9 wish to be in
formed whether Wolfgang's beard is cut
off with small scissors, singed or. shaved
And the mother, in despair, replied: we
have tried our best with the scissors, but
l am seriously afraid we shall have to re-
sort to the barber To which tha faEhar